


Nahgasdei

by genderneutralnoun



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Being Worried About Injured Partners, But I'll Try To Finish This Anyway, F/F, Fade Sex, Fictional Holidays, Holidays, I say despite having been technically working on this fic for three years, Lore-building, Seasonally Appropriate, Which Is Stupid Because I'm Always An Idiot, Will Probably Have A Sequel If I'm Not A Total Idiot, Yours Truly Is A Slut For Lore, god this game had SO MUCH LORE POTENTIAL, holiday fluff, home for the holidays, that's the right tag right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-26 21:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21785344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/genderneutralnoun/pseuds/genderneutralnoun
Summary: After the war, there was still work to be done; bandits had claimed most of Plegia, and those Plegians who survived wanted their ancestral home back. Robin and Lucina were separated for a time as their duties took them to different places, but when Robin is injured and out of commission, Lucina naturally drops everything to bring her home. As it turns out, they have returned just in time for Nagasdei, Ylisse's winter festival of light.
Relationships: Chrom/Olivia (background) - Relationship, Lucina/F!Robin, Maribelle/Lissa/Ricken (background), Morgan/Noire (background)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	Nahgasdei

**Author's Note:**

> I am literally trash; I started writing this winter of... 2017, definitely. (When I was still in school lol.) Then I tried to finish it by winter of 2018. Then I actually did finish it this year. As such the quality will probably get gradually better; I'm also experimenting with a new, more poetic writing style, so it's probably gonna be some weird shit.

Lucina tapped her feet anxiously. She had tried to keep her mind off of things by thinking on the novelty of riding a horse-drawn carriage; she had not been in one since she was very young, and only remembered a few times. It didn’t work, though. 

She could see the fortress very close by, as if it was taunting her. The carriage could only go across the light, powdery snow on the winding road right up to it, so it bobbed in and out of view. She had long given up reading the book that now laid, marked with the slip of paper Robin had drawn on as a going-away gift, on the seat next to her, and now simply watched the scenery in unfocused anxiousness.

When they arrived, Lucina nearly jumped out before the vehicle ground to a halt. As it was, she unceremoniously kicked the door open and jumped down into the cold air, only stopping to nod her thanks to the driver- far be it from her to disrespect a service worker for anything short of a life-threatening time limit- before hurtling down the lightly-covered path to the entrance. 

“Lucina, is that you?” The princess skidded to a halt just inside the archway at the sound of her aunt’s voice. 

“Yes, it is. Where’s Robin?” Lissa knew better than to be surprised at the taller woman’s forwardness. She gestured for Lucina to follow her, keeping her pace quicker than she perhaps would have liked, for the bluette’s sake. When they turned the corner to the healer’s ward, Lucina let out a quiet gasp, and Lissa privately agreed with her.

Robin was flat on her back, something that neither of them had seen. Lucina knew that the blonde always slept curled up on her side, and Lissa hadn’t even heard her ask for something to read the whole time. She wasn’t asleep, as the pair found; her eyes opened as soon as she heard her wife’s voice, and she smiled warmly as she found the princess’s gaze.

That was too much for Lucina. She rushed to Robin’s side, only barely containing herself from grabbing the smaller girl- she looked  _ so _ small and fragile, especially now- into her arms, hugging her tight, and assuring both of them that everything would be alright.

“Hello, Lucina,” Robin said softly. 

“Oh, Robin,” the taller girl sighed. “Robin, Robin, Robin. Do you have any idea how worried I was when I heard? How Owain had to practically restrain me from not jumping on a horse and riding right to you? I was so scared…”

“Mmm.” A hand came up to grasp Lucina’s. “That’s… reassuring.”

The princess was momentarily flabbergasted. “‘That’s reassuring’?” she echoed. “That’s all you have to say, after nearly frightening me out of mind?”

“Yeah.” Robin smiled that warm, soft smile up at her again. “Because it shows how much you care about me.”

Lucina felt her heart melt, and just like that, all the reprimands and stern words she’d had bottled up fell out of her. Her other hand went down to cup her wife’s cheek, who happily leaned her head into it. “Oh, love,” the bluette said, looking down at Robin’s face, still creased with hints of pain. “I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that.” 

“No, it’s okay.” The tactician nodded at Lissa as the cleric edged around Lucina, looking to take her vitals and give her a final checkup with instructions. She did so gratefully, knowing enough to stay quiet as the couple spoke. “It also shows how you care; I couldn’t be upset by that. And you have every right to be angry.” Here Robin’s smile faded. “I shouldn’t have put myself in danger like I did. I have you to think of, too…”

“Stop,” Lucina said sternly. “Don’t say that. It makes you sound like… like some old, grey knight on his deathbed. With a mustache,” she added, getting a snicker out of the blonde, at which she grinned gratefully. “But seriously. I hate it when you say things like that. Can we just be happy you’re alive, and enjoy being together again?”

Robin gave a long-suffering sigh. “I suppose I can allow it, if I must.”

Lucina laughed, the tactician’s antics cheering her up a bit. “Good to see you’re so flexible.”

* * *

It was not long before Lucina insisted on carrying Robin back to the carriage, a simple feat for her thanks to the tactician’s small stature and the bluette’s strength. When they reached the vehicle, the princess let Robin shift from her arms to the seat, then brushed a few stray snowflakes out of the blonde’s hair before walking around to get in from the other side.

As soon as Lucina sat down and closed the door, she scooched closer to Robin, as she knew the petite woman would want to snuggle up to her as soon as she could. And she did, Robin leaning her side into the bluette’s and resting her head on Lucina’s chest. The taller girl put one arm around her lover’s side, the other hand going up to run through her hair. They were quite comfortable like that, even falling asleep in the same position as the ride went on into the night. When they arrived, Lucina did not wake Robin; it was easy and enjoyable enough to tote the smaller girl up to their shared rooms and tuck her in without stirring her from sleep.

Lucina had removed her lover’s cloak but took off nothing else from her, simply allowing her to keep resting. She pulled off her own clothes and slipped into pajamas silently; as she did, she found her thoughts wandering, as they often would, to their admittedly small quarters. By her own request, they were where she slept. They were her rooms when she was a child, in her future, before she had moved to the traditional quarters for the heir on her tenth birthday. She had never cared much for the change, and as the reports of Risen attacks began mere months after, it always seemed to signify, looking back, a sad coming of age, a loss of innocence for her.

But such thoughts were not befitting of tonight. Tonight, Robin was finally home. All was well.

* * *

The war-worn tactician awoke slowly to a familiar face just inches from hers, eyes still closed. Robin chuckled. Usually, Lucina was the first to get up.

Not that it stayed so for long. The bluette blinked at her lover’s laugh, her gaze unfocused; before she remembered who was beside her and smiled warmly.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Lucina said fondly, her voice still soft with sleep.

“That’s my line,” Robin replied, getting a quiet ‘heh’ in response. “Did you carry me up all those stairs to our rooms by yourself?”

“Guilty as charged,” the princess said, wiggling her toes as if to test their strength as she tried to summon the willpower to sit up. 

“Oh, there's no need to get up quite yet if you don't want to, Luci,” Robin said, noticing her wife’s efforts. “We can sleep in, or just laze about…”

With a knowing smile, Lucina slid closer, one hand curling around the tactician’s hips to a happy whine from the slighter woman. Despite the cold of the day, it was quite warm there, as they spent a few extra hours to rest and re-familiarize themselves with each other.

* * *

Lucina’s eyes were soft and warm as she brushed light hair out of her lover’s face, the smaller girl gasping gently for breath. “Do you know what day tomorrow is?” she said conversationally.

When she had re-composed herself, Robin replied with a smile. “No, should I?”

“Probably not. I’ll tell you, anyway.” Before that, the princess drew the other into a slow kiss, as if teasing her with the promise of information. When they broke apart, Lucina continued, “It’s a holiday in Ylisse, one we traditionally celebrate in settled times. As such, it’s been… quite a while since I last had one..”

“And I’ve never experienced one,” Robin nodded, following Lucina’s train of thought. “But this isn’t exactly what I’d call ‘settled’. How-”

“According to Naga, it is,” the bluette explained. “We got word from the shrine on Mount Prism; we’re to celebrate it this year. Probably to improve moral, since it’s been some years since we’ve been able to.”

“That’s awesome.” Robin shifted closer to press a kiss into Lucina’s neck, earning a soft purr from the taller girl. “Do you want to talk about this later?”

The answer, though nonverbal, was definitely in the affirmative.

* * *

Sometime in the early afternoon (Robin was stiff and found movement difficult thanks to her injuries, so Lucina had helped her freshen up), the two emerged, bright-cheeked and satisfied-looking. “Ah, the lovebirds emerge from their nest,” was Maribelle’s teasing remark, a cup of time-appropriate tea in her hand as she took a break from what seemed to be sorting medical papers. “How was Lissa, Lucina dear? Did she seem to be taking care of herself?”

The princess made sure that Robin was comfortable in her seat near the gold-blonde noble before putting on a pot for them and replying. “Yes. I was worried she might be overworking herself, but I did what you said and just asked one of the captains. He said she hasn’t had too much to fuss over, so she’s in good health.”

“Well, thank Naga for that.” Maribelle nodded respectfully to Robin, shifting topics with the practiced ease that came with being a woman of her post. “How about you, Robin? Not pushing yourself, I hope?”

The tactician smirked at her wife. “Well, with Lucina around, I don’t think the chances of that are very likely,” she said lazily, causing the bluette to roll her eyes (though no one saw it). “But yes, I am trying to take it easy. I mean, last I heard, the situation was pretty under control, and I’m not so full of myself to believe my absence will have so drastic an effect on our efforts.” 

_ Always the self-deprecating one. _ Lucina sighed; there was little she could do for that, as any mention of the topic turned into Robin getting defensive and fragile, and generally just made everyone feel worse. She could see the same train of thought was going through Maribelle’s mind, so she changed the subject again. “So, Maribelle; tell me, how are the preparations for Nahgasdei going?”

“‘Nahgasdei’?” the tactician echoed, as her wife sat down beside her and handed her her tea in the same fluid motion. “Is that what you were talking about?”

“Yes. It’s a silly name, really, but I suppose when you grow up hearing it, it’s not so strange.” Lucina took the time to brush Robin’s hair out of her face before sipping at her own tea, eyes still watching the blonde, something Maribelle observed with a smile.

“So I’m guessing you’ve never heard of it before?” the noble said. “Yes, that would make sense. We didn’t get approval to celebrate it any of the years since we found you, and you wouldn’t have remembered anything from before… I’ll say, you’re in for a treat, darling.”

“Am I, now?” It was meant to be teasing, but both of the other women nodded vigorously as if the very idea of the opposite was scandalous.

“Definitely,” Lucina said vehemently. “You just wait and see.”

* * *

That was exactly what Robin found herself doing, as she and Lucina retreated to their rooms as to be out of the way of preparations. The princess explained, as best she could, what was to be expected for the next day; so that when dawn broke, they were both ready to get up and join the celebrations. 

Chrom had a more public-centered day as the presiding Exalt, so they didn’t see each other much that day, especially in the afternoon. “You look much too grumpy, Father,” Lucina teased him at breakfast. “Lighten up, show some holiday spirit!”

“I’m saving my holiday spirit for the public,” he responded grimly. Robin sniggered, prompting Lucina and Owain to laugh, and eventually even Chrom to chuckle at his own ridiculousness. 

“Oh, of course, Uncle,” Owain grinned, quickly caught up in the teasing. “Naturally there’s a finite amount of holiday cheer allocated to any one person! As Exalt, it is your duty to save every last drop to devote to your beloved public.”

“I am never going to get used to being called that,” Chrom declared amidst laughter. “‘Father’, I can handle. ‘Uncle’? That makes me feel  _ way _ too old.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing compared to what Owain and Lucina went through to get here,” Robin drawled, causing Lucina to snort derisively, then flush and look away awkwardly. Owain, on the other hand, very narrowly avoided a coughing fit from how hard he was laughing. Chrom, as he so often did, just looked bewildered.

Not particularly keen on explaining the functions of humor as a coping skill for dealing with trauma, Robin decided to switch topics. She elbowed Lucina in the ribs, perhaps a bit harder than was necessary, successfully communicating more than she could have done with whispers. The taller girl started, then understood belatedly. She fumbled with her pouch, pulling out a scarf tied sloppily, as if it were concealing something, and a book with paper folded over it so the cover couldn’t be seen. 

“Nahgasdei presents,” she announced. “From Robin and I. Father, open yours first.”

Chrom struggled with untying the scarf for a moment, then it slipped loose only slightly worse for wear. He searched through the folds, getting more confused as he continued until Robin couldn’t hold back her giggles anymore, causing him to look up, confused.

Owain got it only a moment later, and when he started laughing, that set off Lucina, too.

“What in the blazes are you three laughing at?” he asked, only succeeding in getting them to laugh harder.

“Father,” Lucina said in between chuckles, “the scarf is the gift.”

“Of course the-  _ oh. _ ” The look of utter bewilderment, immediately replaced with “I'm an idiot”, and the contrast of the two, sent the younger three at the table into even more uproarious laughter. Chrom initially sighed at his family's silliness, but eventually, he found himself chuckling as well.

“By the way,” said Lucina when they had all calmed down, “where's Mother?”

“She's getting herself and my outfit ready for our public appearance,” Chrom replied, unable to hide a slight grimace at the last part. “Hers is more complicated, and we, uh, we got up later than we intended-” (this resulted in Robin giving a knowing glance to Owain, who responded with a similarly silly, exaggeratedly scandalized look) “-so she didn't have time to come down for a proper breakfast. I made sure one of the servants got her something, at least,” he finished, nodding to himself.

“Shouldn't you hurry back, then?” Robin offered politely.

There was a pause. “Oh, yeah,” Chrom said belatedly. He excused himself and left rather quickly.

* * *

That was the last they saw of him for the day, which suited Lucina and Robin quite well. They spent most of the day snuggled up quite comfortably, Lucina telling Robin stories of times before, her younger holidays before everything changed. Morgan had woken up too late for breakfast earlier, and even though they insisted it was fine, he only spent a little bit with them, knowing that they still needed alone time together after being apart for so long. And he got to spend time with Noire, so it was okay by him.

“So,” Lucina said, stretching; they were wrapped up in blankets, simply snuggling, but Lucina was an active person, and as nice as it felt, she got nervous when doing nothing. “Traditionally, Nahgasdei is a time to spend with family and lovers. There’s also services for those that don’t have much or any family, or are shunned from them; part of that is Chrom’s duty.” As time went by, Lucina had gradually transitioned from calling Chrom “Father” to using his name, both because Chrom insisted that they were equals and should treat each other as such, and because she didn’t need the comfort of thinking of this time’s Chrom as the father she’d grown up with anymore. “When I was very young, it was a lot more festive, but as I grew up, things always seemed more grim, until the holidays stopped altogether.”

Robin gazed out the window as she listened, watching the chunky, fluffy bits of snow fluttering down from the sky, down to the courtyard, where the statue of Marth was wearing a garland made of fir branches. Some commoners walked about, as the lower parts of the castle were open; Robin knew by now that the grand dining halls were filled with the capital’s homeless, where they were served simple, warm meals by the castle staff, a tradition started by Emmeryn when the amount of homeless was surging due to the remnants of the war, and one Chrom was all too pleased to continue.

As always, she felt a pang of guilt when she thought about Emmeryn, but it was small, and melted away from the warmth of her feelings, right then. “When will the festivities end?” she asked suddenly.

“Oh, they go on for quite a while. This is the first day, and the most important, but there’s also six more days after, dedicated to specific things. Marsdei for remembering those who keep us safe, Ehleasdei for unity, Harthsdei for helping those less fortunate, Solsdei for the arts. Supposedly they’re all named after heroes from the halidom. And on the eighth day we have a mostly silent day, devoted to prayer and thanking Naga for blessing us with peace.” Lucina paused. “Why?”

“I wanna go  _ out, _ ” Robin said quietly. “Like, walk around town and stuff. See things. With you.”

Lucina smiled. “That sounds like a great idea. Solsdei is probably the best day for it. Olivia is going to perform for the public, and there’s art and food to buy.”

“That sounds lovely,” Robin said in a small voice.

Lucina frowned, touching Robin’s cheek gently, prompting her to turn her head to face her. “What’s wrong, my love?” she asked softly, getting a little distracted by Robin’s beautiful eyes, and feeling a little silly for it.

Robin shrugged. “I don’t know. I just… there’s this feeling I have, that I… it’s all strange, but wonderful, and familiar. I… I’m glad I’m with you,” she said, suddenly shy.

Lucina felt her heart melt for perhaps the millionth time, yet never tiring of it. She pulled Robin close to her, and the tactician laid her head on her chest, so easily and naturally it felt like mere ripples in still water. Both of them closed their eyes, and fell into simple contentment.

* * *

They had a simple lunch of warm bread and butter with apples chilled with ice magic to keep fresh, but came downstairs for dinner with Morgan, when he came to ask them if they wanted to join them. Inigo was there, as was Maribelle, Ricken, Owain and Brady, and their time’s Lucina, though she was called Lulu. Inigo’s doppelganger (similarly called Minigo, or Mini for short) was too young to join them, instead being taken care of by the servants. It was a quiet dinner, as they mostly just enjoyed each other’s presence, and the food was so good that it was better to focus on eating it.

Gifts were exchanged, then it was time for bed. Robin and Lucina snuggled, but Robin’s thoughts were far away; ever since that moment after they decided to go out, something had been at the back of her mind, and she reached for it; it took some time before she finally got it. When she did, she gasped softly, her eyes opening, and whispered, “I remembered something!”

Lucina was immediately alert, even though she had thought that Robin was asleep by now. “What?” she asked, admittedly quite startled by it.

“I… it was my mother.”

There was silence, and it made Lucina think. What  _ had  _ happened to Robin’s mother? According to Validar, she had stolen Robin away as a baby and fled somewhere, but that didn’t explain how Robin ended up on the southern Plegia-Ylisse border. And even in Lucina’s time, where Robin remembered her past, neither Chrom nor Robin, nor anyone else, spoke about her past, as if she had just come into existence spontaneously.

“Tell me,” Lucina said.

“We… we were in… some city. There was a festive air… we heard from the other… homeless people… that they were offering free food at the palace. It… it was Ylisstol.” Robin was quiet for a moment. “My mother, she… she looked a lot like me, but… older, and…” Unable to think of a word to describe it, Robin mimed pulling something apart.

“When we were at the castle, she barely ate anything. I… I think I was… it was the year before Chrom found me. She kept looking at the guards, and the servants, and… the refugees from the war. …Eventually a group of Plegians in… dark robes… came in, and we left immediately.” She frowned. “I think I recognized them, or at least their robes, but I can’t… remember specifically. Wait, they were Grimleal robes! That makes sense!”

Lucina nodded for Robin to go on.

“After that, we moved around the… the poorer parts of the city for a few days until it was snowing lightly, and we went… somewhere.” Robin gestured helplessly. “I think that’s it.” It felt like she had been holding onto a thread, and the thread had run out, leaving her stranded.

“But that’s  _ great,  _ Robin!” Lucina insisted. “You remembered something! Maybe with it we can figure out your past!”

“That would be nice,” Robin admitted. “But, I… it feels… bad, like thinking about… the days when I felt useless and alone. I… I think I’m okay staying here in the present.” She smiled weakly, and Lucina smiled back, unable to help it.

“Well, good,” Lucina said affectionately. “Because right now is where I’d rather be, too; with you over anything else.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to write a sequel called Solsdei where they go out like they plan in this fic, but I think this fic wraps up nicely enough to be considered an self-contained fic instead of a two-parter. Or maybe I'm just sacred of commitment lol. *looks guiltily at all my other WIPs, especially the two recent ones* But yeah, hope you enjoyed, and happy holidays (I don't want to specify in case I leave out one or more of the ones I don't know; I'm a very sheltered raised-Roman Catholic haha), or if you don't celebrate, have a great December and New Year with your loved ones, whomever they may be!


End file.
